The Utah Jazz have been guilty of some of the most egregious tank jobs of the past few seasons. One would know that it's officially tanking season when Lauri Markkanen and company begin to miss games, but they've taken their quest to lose games intentionally on another level, as they've sat out their best players, including Markkanen, in the fourth quarter of games they've led.

On Monday night, however, there was nothing that was going to prevent the Jazz from winning. Brice Sensabaugh did not get the memo that Utah was trying to lose intentionally, as he hit a go-ahead triple with less than a minute left to give the Jazz an eventual 115-111 win over the Miami Heat in a game that head coach Will Hardy sat Markkanen, newly-acquired Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic for the entirety of the fourth quarter.

Hardy's comments after the game leaves the Jazz with little-to-no plausible deniability in their tanking efforts, as he admitted that there was no way that Markkanen, Jackson, and Nurkic were entering the contest even though the game was still up for grabs.

“I wasn't [going to put Markkanen or Jackson back in],” Hardy said, via Five Reasons Sports on X (formerly Twitter).

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Will NBA put an end to Jazz's blatant tank job?

Jazz center Jaren Jackson Jr. (20) shoots during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center
Mike Watters-Imagn Images

It's clear why the Jazz are trying to lose games; their 2026 first-round pick would convey to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it landed outside the top eight. But the brazenness with which they're tanking has to give commissioner Adam Silver a very sour taste in his mouth.

The Jazz have been trying to boost their lottery odds over the past few seasons. But even then, the best pick they got was the fifth overall pick in 2025, which they used to select Ace Bailey. Is this the year Utah finally cashes in, especially when the acquisition of Jackson puts them in prime position to compete for a playoff spot next season?